Indore: The “system” does not want students — it wants unquestioning “andhbhakts”, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, accusing the ruling dispensation of silencing young voices on unemployment, exam scandals and the sway of a handful of industrialists.
Addressing a packed ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ gathering in Indore, Gandhi said students alone could cleanse the country of violence and hatred, not blind followers.
“The system has captured the entire country. It does not want students to raise questions,” he said. “Students are asking questions about the system, including about certain industrialists, but the Andhbhakts oppose them. Only students can wipe out violence and hatred from the country, not Andhbhakts.”
‘Students Vs Andhbhakts’
Gandhi drew a stark line between curious learners and what he termed “andhbhakts”, calling the latter the antithesis of student values.
“Students question as they are curious, while the andhbhakts are delusional. Students talk of love and respect, while the andhbhakts spread hate and hatred. Students are humble with humility and listen to others, while the andhbhakts are full of arrogance. Students are fearless while andhbhakts are cowards. Students respect women, but andhbhakts are patriarchal and attack and humiliate women. Students are honest, while the andhbhakts are dishonest and liars”, he said, amidst huge applause from the crowd.
He also alleged that a six-member network — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani — ran the system. “The system does not want the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the Election Commission and other institutions to function properly and independently.”
Teacher Vacancies, Exam Freeze, Hostel Crisis
Gandhi said he was ready to join the ongoing protest by teacher recruitment aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, citing nearly 10 lakh vacant teaching posts nationwide as proof of the government’s neglect of youth.
Students on stage flagged recruitment delays, paper leaks, soaring education costs and alleged opacity in universities and government exams.
One candidate told Gandhi that many who had cleared MP government exams were still waiting for appointments, as recruitment to 13% of posts had been put on hold following a legal dispute. Others flagged the freeze on the 13% quota in state recruitment examinations, as reported by The New Indian Express.
A tribal student also urged him to highlight the shortage of hostels for Adivasi students in Indore.
“Students are not happy. They are uncomfortable and do not see a future ahead of them,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi insisted that education — from kindergarten through university — was a core duty of both state and Central governments, stressing that it was a fundamental right for every student, not a privilege or favour to be granted.
He alleged that the BJP-led government had slashed the education budget from 4.6 per cent during the Congress era to just 2.6 per cent, adding that 1.5 crore students had been stripped of scholarships, nearly one lakh schools had been shut in the last decade, and 10 lakh teacher positions remained unfilled.
Pointing to the recent Delhi PG building collapse that claimed seven student lives, he said a mere 14 per cent of students had access to hostel accommodation, pinning the blame on cost-cutting measures and the push to privatise education.
Gandhi also met the grandfather, father and sister of Arpit, 18, one of the students who died in the Delhi PG building collapse, and offered his condolences, assuring the family of his full support.
